Cat food and import bills – this week in Pakistan’s business and economics twitterverse

The nation’s pet owners were up in arms this past week as it appeared that the government was banning pet food along...

The Groundhog Day conundrum – is the economy stuck in a loop?

Well what if there is no economy. There wasn’t one before

What options does Shehbaz have?

How can he stabilise an economy on the brink while building traction with voters at the same time?

Twitter spats and the six day work week

It’s always going to be a busy week when the recently erstwhile finance minister gets into a twitter spat with the incumbent...

The start-up culture is causing Pakistanis (& Wapistanis) to dream

Rising inflation, declining foreign reserves, energy shortages, political instability – These  headlines make a grim reading for any investor. But in all...
Importers

Import tariffs as implicit (and powerful) export taxes

If you thought import duties were taxes on imports, you’re only half right. They are also, implicitly, and powerfully, taxes on exports.  In...

The last days of Governor Baqir

"His term is about to end and we will not retain him," said Khawaja Muhammad Asif while speaking about Dr Reza Baqir’s...

Pakistan’s second war on terror

Pakistan’s second war on terror is becoming more violent and more complex over the last few months. With security personnel facing attacks...

Fake news and power outages – this week in Pakistan’s business and economics twitterverse

The nation is fast headed towards Eid, and that means there is nothing else being done at breakneck speed. As we go...

Startups should be looking at debt, not just VC funding

Three years ago, I met another venture investor in Jakarta to talk about startups in emerging markets. We spoke about various sectors...

Navigating the crisis

Pakistan is staring at yet another economic crisis. A coalition government is facing economic choices that will significantly erode its political capital...

Good corporate governance should demand better CEO accountability

In most Pakistani organizations, performance management gets worse the higher one climbs the greasy pole. Boards and shareholders should learn about and be thorough in evaluating top management

The case against a six-day work week

After a week-long constitutional crisis, a new government is finally in place.  One of the first decisions taken was a rushed one,...

Bond spreads rise with political risk

Pakistan has a long history in global capital markets. The country’s first international bond dates to late 1994 when $150mn was raised...

Crisis ahead!

What does an economic meltdown look like?